Integrating Ecosystem-based Approaches into Flood Risk Management for Adaptive and Sustainable Urban Development in Central Vietnam
Research- and Development Phase (R&D-phase)
Initial situation
Typhoos, extreme weather events and floods that claim lives and cause enormous infrastructural and economic damage have repeatedly affected Central Vietnam in the recent past; the frequency and intensity of these events are expected to increase in the future.
At the same time, a strong urbanisation trend can be observed in the smaller and medium-sized coastal cities of Central Vietnam as well as accompanying land use changes in the catchment area of the rivers. The consequences are dramatic, as the coastal area between the mountainous upper reaches and the sea is very narrow and the already very short response times (in the case of heavy rainfall) are further shortened by land sealing. Due to transforming settlement patterns, housing typologies and lifestyles (from rural to urban), vulnerabilities and adaptation practices are also changing.
Floods and inundations have a devastasting impact on the coastal towns, which provide an economic base for their surrounding areas, as well as on agricultural and aquacultural products contribute to increasing the risk of poverty and social vulnerability.
The study area of the FloodAdaptVN project is the Thừa Thiên Huế Province in Central Vietnam. Huế City was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945; the city accommodates many valuable national cultural sites.
Objective of the overall FloodAdaptVN project
The main objectives of the FloodAdaptVN project in the R&D-phase are
- to understand, analyse and assess spatial patterns and dynamics of current and future flood risks,
- to identify entry points and barriers for the implementations of risk reduction, risk transfer and adapation solutions (with a focus on ecosystem-based approaches),
- to develop a decision support tool for (spatial) planning and for the prioritisation of different climate change adaptation, risk reduction and risk transfer measures and
- to prepare stakeholders for the use of the research and development results through capacity development measures.
Objective and work program of the sub-project "Spatial Planning and Stakeholder Engagement" of the IZES gGmbH
The main objective of the sub-project "Spatial Planning and Stakeholder Engagement" is to integrate the results of the FloodAdaptVN project into the planning practice and into administrative action of the Thừa Thiên Huế Province. In order to achieve this objective, the following research work is carried out in the R&D-phase.
By evaluating the contents of existing legal texts and planning instruments, targets and objectives with regard to spatial development, climate change adaption and flood risk reduction as well as to the development and introduction of risk transfer solutions are identified.
In addition, already planned strategies and measures, which are outlined in the planning instruments, are compiled.
Within the framework of expert interviews and dialogue events, implementation aspects, the stakeholders' scope of action and interim results of the research work are discussed. On the basis of the knowledge gained, possible entry points and barriers for the planning and implementation of ecosystem-based measures and risk transfer solutions are identified and recommendations for the integration of the project's results in future strategies and plans are formulated. These recommendations will also concern the optimisation of planning and decision-making processes, the anchoring of the acquired knowledge in the administration and the improvement of the cooperation between the stakeholders.
The sub-project supports the intensive work of the overall project with the local stakeholders: In order to actively involve the stakeholders in the research and development activities, a "co-development approach" is developed and implemented during the R&D-phase. Different dialogue formats (tailored to different target groups) promote the communication between the Vietnamese-German research team and the local stakeholders, support the mutual understanding between the local stakeholders and facilitate the exchange of experiences between stakeholders at the regional level (e.g. in the context of Regional Network Forums).
The pictures show measures for the reforestation of mangrove forests (coastal protection measures) as well as low-lying, partly inundated
areas in the urban area Huế, which will be built on the future.
Project homepage:
German Partners
- German Aerospace Center Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum (DFD), Wessling (project coordination)
- University of Tübingen
- geomer GmbH, Heidelberg
- United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) und Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), Bonn
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University, München (LMU)
Vietnamese Partners
- Huế University International School (HUIS)
- Huế University of Sciences (HUSC)
- Thua Thien Hue Provincial Commanding Committee of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue (CCNDPC / SR)
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE), Thua Thien Huế Province
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology
FKZ 01LE1905B1